Not the smartest thing I ever did!

First of all, I need to give p.s. to "Lost".  A few weeks ago I realized that I hadn't seen any mail with a forwarding sticker on it.  Yes, we had some mail, but it was all addressed to our new post office box.  So I started a search.  I spoke with the local post office, a national office (somewhere), and the post office in our former city.  Well, let me say that the local office and the national office are "manned" by extremely kind and helpful people.  Long story short, our lost mail was found.  It was gathering in Richland IOWA.  ;)  Well, it has been forwarded to us and we are connected once again.  

On to today's blog.  On Saturday I decided to take some time for me.  I ran an errand and then went to the park/boat launch area that is just a block from where we will be living. Our new home had all the things checked on my wish list except the view of either the river or Badger Mountain.  Well, I discovered all I have to do is walk one block and I have it.

I wanted to get a feel for the area and thought I would check out Bateman Island.  This piece of land has intrigued me ever since I first saw a sign of it.  There is history here of Lewis and Clark finding it, seeing Native Americans living and farming there, etc.  I started a short walk on the Columbia River Trail and soon found myself at the beginning of a trail onto Bateman Island.
The walk began beautifully.

I heard birds singing, the sun was shining through the trees and I was loving it.  After a short hike, I was soon out of the shaded tree area and walking on what acted like sand.

It is gray and fine like sand.  Many here call it dirt.  Coming from NW Iowa, this is not what I would classify as dirt.  I continued my walk.  I came to a "Y" and chose the path on the right.  

Much of what I would pass was either short squatty trees or "bushes" in bloom that turn into what we know as tumble weed.  After about 40 minutes, I began to wander if I should have done this.  I was alone, literally, alone.  I wasn't sure where or how the path went.  I could hear movement in the nearby tall grass or under a tree and my imagination went crazy.  I saw animal foot prints in the dirt.  This is when I prayed, "Lord, I know you created many great things and creatures in this world.  But I really don't want to meet one up close and personal right now.  

I continued down what looked like the path.  I stumbled on a clump of grass.  It felt like when you would try to walk across a combined field of corn and your foot would stumble on a corn plant firmly rooted in the ground.  I had a slight twinge in the ankle that I broke a little over a year ago and thought, "Oh, no.  What if I get hurt?  How will I get back?  How will anyone find me?"  Of course I would then remember that I had my phone in hand, fully charged and gps engaged.  :)

But then I also let my pioneering skills kick in and kept track of how far I had walked on my handy pedometer installed on my phone.  I would listen for sounds and kept track of where the sun was shining so I knew when I was turning back towards the direction of which I had come.  So ______________________ of me.  (You fill in the blank)

I did find myself with the sun on the opposite side of me that I began.  And no, its not because I was out there that long.  But I kept walking, noticing the beauty in the different flora and fauna of Eastern Washington.  After 2 3/4 miles I was back at the entry to the island.  There I passed some other people beginning their hike.  I smiled and greeted them like I had just had the best time ever.  Truth be told, I probably shouldn't have done this without letting someone know I was going.  Or made sure I had water with me, etc.  But walking back towards where I had parked, this is what I saw:

Yes, I do have my view and it's beautiful.

Lost in the Desert

What happens when we are familiar with things?  When we feel we've got this?  We can become lost.  The other day I was taking Chloe to school.  Amy was out of town for business and I had things going really well that morning.  Loaded everyone into the van, took off for school, dropped her off and began our return journey.  I was chatting with Everitt and Eden and before long I was lost.  I suddenly realized that I was on a street that was not familiar.  I took a few more turns and did not come to anything familiar.  So I resorted to the GPS in my phone.  We found our way back home.  

In my last post I reported that we were now on the journey to purchasing our new home.  When we made the decision to join on this adventure I made plans.  I made lists.  I researched.  Then I did it all again.  I was ready. (in my mind)  What I wasn't prepared for was the extra costs in purchasing a home, receiving less on the sale of our Iowa home than planned, paying for prescriptions for 90 days with out insurance, receiving no holiday pay (Labor day), finding out that we can't afford the health insurance offered through Phil's new job.  SO...... we are scraping, we are researching an alternative for health insurance, we are wandering in the desert.

The other night I freaked, I lost it.  The tears wouldn't stop, my gut was tied in a knot.  I felt hopeless, I couldn't see a way out.  I want to obey, I want to serve, - but how can that be?  How can this work out?  I told Phil - "Put me in front of 500 people to speak and I'm ok with that.  But this is freaking me out."

When we made our announcement for this journey, many said to us that it was like Abram obeying the call to go.  We felt the same way.  We came without having a house in mind, without confirmation of a job, without visiting first.  Many would call the crazy, but we truly felt at peace about it.  When we are obedient, it makes Satan angry.  He loves to mess things up, or at least try.  

We now feel like we are lost in the desert.  We are in a spot  where we feel like we are being attacked by the scorpions of the desert, the slithering snakes keep following us, the sand is in our shoes, our hair, our clothes, we have been poked by many cacti.  We are blinded by the sun and can't find our way home. 

And yet if we are patient, it cools at night, we see the beauty in each cactus and the life that calls this home.  Satan doesn't want to see us survive, doesn't want us to see the beauty.  He wants us to run back with our tails between our legs, to say we can't do it, to question why God would want us to go through this.

I was never one to wear or use much brown, but in the last few years I began to see the beauty in it.  Especially pared with blue.  Now I live in a location where there are many variations of browns and grays.  And over 300 days a year of a wondrous blue sky to accent them.  I am seeing the beauty in the desert.  

Now I need to seek patience and stay focused on God.  How wonderful it is that we have a God that wants to shower us with Grace, wrap His arms around us,and love us unconditionally.  I want to obey, I want to reflect His love in me.  I want to see the beauty in this desert.

I do feel lost in the desert, but I am not alone.  Will I make more mistakes?  Yes, of that you can be sure.  But I am not alone.
8 Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”  Deut 31:8


  

Hmmmm.......

Update - the wildfires are getting better and more under control.  Thank you for the prayers.

The good news?  We have offered, offer accepted, inspection done, loan papers completed, for our own house!  Now we wait to get all the details completed and hopefully by the end of October we will be moved in.  We are excited that it is only one block from the Columbia river, park and trails for biking and walking.  Short distance to shopping, eating, and only 2 miles to the Knoup residence!  WooHoo!!!!!

Finally - I'm typing on my own computer.  Well, what we are now going to use for a computer.  Up till now, I have used my 7 inch tablet, the Knoup laptop and/or a hotel computer.  We left behind our previous computer - it wasn't worth packing.  Today I/we purchased a notebook.  It is multi-functional, we can take it with us, etc.  So anyway, hopefully I now will be more regular at my blogging.  I'm thinking of Monday's and Thursday's.  Let me know what you think.

Speaking of leaving things behind - I started to think of what we left behind in Iowa.  We left behind a bad computer, obviously, as well as a home finally remodeled how we wanted, my air jet bathtub (of which I really miss), our church home and involvement (and yes, everyone there and everything about Hope is missed as well), our family including two children, many many friends, our camper, our couches, our piano, our pond filled with fish, my hammock chair, our washer and dryer, etc.   Even though I miss all of these things, they are just things.  And the people?  Well, hopefully, they (and you) will stay in touch and visit us out here in the Pacific Northwest.  We continue to care greatly for each of you.


Many and probably most people couldn't understand why we did what we did the way that we did it.  Translated, we quit our jobs, packed most but not all of our belongings, moved to a location that we had never been to, never visited, did not have a house to move to or a job confirmed.  Some probably even said we were crazy.  There was a time I would have agreed with you.  BUT .....   

We prayed, we asked, and God confirmed in many ways that we were to do this.  We are calling it our new journey.  A journey that will continue for a long time to come (God willing) and will continue to teach and grow us.  God has told us many times in His Word to go, to share, to be His light.  He didn't tell us to wait, to get everything in order, to make sure we were comfortable and then go.  I'm not saying this is for everyone, God knows your journey you are to take.  It might be a journey where you will grow and never physically leave where you are right now. So ask  yourself this - Where will you go for God?  What will you do by His grace for Him?  He sacrificed His son to give you and me life eternal, what little He asks of us.  Hmmmm........

Here is what happens to you when the t.v. is off and playing alone is not an option in Eden's mind - 

Truthfully, I missed this from when the girls were younger.  Don't worry - I didn't go out in public like this.  ;)

I continue to be entertained with things I here and see that I am not used to.  Such as standing in line at a Dollar Tree to check out and where you would see those items such as snacks, candy, (what they try to get you to purchase, your weaknesses) i saw condoms and a home test for illegal drug use.  Hmmmm.......
While driving today I heard an advertisement for Wine Country Family Dentistry - the name seams to be its own oxymoron.  Hmmmmm........

A plaid Volkswagen bug.  Hmmmm.......

A crane for????  Hmmmm......

 A tree that insisted it would grow, even if that meant crawling on the ground.  Hmmmm......

3 in one.  See the 3 distinct sets of rings?  Hmmm.....

From a distance, it looks like a giant chicken lost its foot here. Hmmm......

 
 A wild grape vine that grew so big, well you can see how big some of the main vine is.  Hmmmm.....

And yep, this one is for you to figure out.  Hmmmm......

See what unusual things are around you.  Until next time.....

7 Weeks and counting.....

Here we are completing week 7 of this New Adventure.  Wow.  Our things are still in storage.  The plants?  My suggestion is you don't try to move very far with live plants.  We brought 9 raspberry plants and have 4 or 5.  Not so bad.  The half dozen flowering plants - nope.  The rose bush cutting that has been a part of my family since I was born - nope.  The five herbs I had growing well - nope.  I won't post a picture - you know what dried twigs look like.  :)

I don't know what to do or think some days.  House hunting has been hard.  Either too far from our budget, needs a total gut job, or not in a neighborhood I would feel safe in living.  We keep praying and hoping that Amy and Aaron continue to be patient.  

Labor day was this past weekend.  For me it was an unusual one.  We took care of Everitt Friday nite and Saturday as the rest traveled to Portland.  Phil tore the car apart (didn't go well) to replace a bearing in the A/C.  After hours of struggling he finally got it a part but had been sold the wrong size bearing.  ugh.......

Soooo..... we have the one vehicle, I couldn't go anywhere if I wanted to (and I did :))  Sunday and Monday were hard as I felt in the way.  No nobody said or did anything to indicate that.  I'm trying to stay out of the way so they can have their family time.  The Labor Day weekends I have grown accustomed to involve us camping somewhere and the last few years they have been spent with Gabriel, Emily (our daughter) and Lyla.  We would go to Art Splash in Sioux City as Gabriel displayed and sold his paintings.  

Really miss them.  AND it was our son's (Timothy) birthday, he closed on selling his house AND he is now in a relationship.  It is hard not to tear up when I talk to them.  Love them all and miss them and celebrate what is happening in their lives.  As I do with all our friends back in Iowa as well.  

We did return to our storage unit last week.  The weather has changed in that it is chilly in the morning and we were looking for different clothes.  Phil in particular for a jacket for work.

 

Yep, you have to be good at acrobatics.  Well, Phil found his things, but not mine.  Hmmmmm.......

We visited our fourth church last week.  It certainly gets the award for most beautiful.

That is a floor to ceiling glass wall behind the platform.  On the outside is a huge waterfall facing the sanctuary.  There were 2 or 3 other water features that we saw around the building as well.  What I wanted to say was, you can't help looking at it during the service.  As I did this, I noticed there were basically 4 different paths the water was taking.  The first was very slow, took many turns, and eventually reached the bottom.  The second was gushing - almost jumping straight down to reach the bottom.  The third was running fast but hit every level, each step on the way down.  The fourth took its time going straight down, almost a trickle.  You know me - I couldn't help but think of that's how we are as humans, as Christians.  Sometimes we jump in, sometimes we go forward but keep trying to take a different path, sometimes we are in a hurry but cautious and sometimes we barely move forward.  Which path are you on right now?  At times since being here, I feel like I am the first one.  Taking many turns, some due to not knowing, some due to not trusting, and some due to anxiety.  

At the conclusion of the service we celebrated communion.  Remember a few posts back how I kept referring to the phrase - "God's Got This"?  Well the pastor in leading into communion told us that when Jesus was on the cross, to die for our sins, to pay the ultimate price - it was like he was saying "I've Got This".  I'm so glad God keeps reminding me.

Here's your funny for the day - 

This is one of the bushes/trees in the front yard.  (Don't worry - it's not staying)  But it makes me laugh.  How would you title this?  A trush?  A bu - ee?  A new birth?  I'm sure you can be more creative that I.  Remember to laugh and -

Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track. Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Proverbs 3:5-7a (The Message)

Continued prayers needed, but don't forget to laugh!

Yes, many prayers are needed for many things.  The top of my thinking this morning and every morning are the many wildfires throughout the state.  Below is the site you can see the current fires here in the state of Washington.
http://gacc.nifc.gov/nwcc/information/firemap.aspx
There are still 15 uncontained fires in Washington.  Pray for the firefighters, the law enforcement officials, the land owners, and all those affected by these fires.  
Wild fires are big here in Washington.  On the lighter side - seems like many things are big here in Washington.  The first time I walked into Walmart near our hotel I went - "Oh my, this place is huge!"  Then I discovered a Dollar Tree store and repeated my words.  (They even had frozen and fresh foods in coolers!)  And then..... I went to a discount Winco Food store.  Can't tell you what I said, but I felt overwhelmed by everything available.  Yup - its big.  BUT - there are many houses that are tiny.  Yes tiny living is nothing new.  When Hanford Nuclear Production began in the forties and many people came to live out here to work there, the government hired Albin Pherson, an architect from Spokane.  Depending on the letter, depends the size and layout.  

There are several of these houses still here and we have looked at some for purchase BUT when you walk into a 2 bedroom "T" house, the ceiling feels like you are in a small camper and the layout is not so efficient.  Hmmmmm....... I enjoy the history of these houses though.

Here's a good laugh - due to the Hanford site, there are many ways that it has influenced the Tri Cities.  Ex. - The high school is nicknamed the Bombers and their mascot is a mushroom cloud.  There is a mobile park and the streets are named Nuclear, Cosmic, Proton, Galaxy, etc.  We saw a bowling alley called The Atomic Bowl.  There is also the Atomic Ale, Atomic Auto.... well you get the picture.  Now please don't get political and tell me the negatives, just laugh.

I have always said one of the greatest gifts God gave us is laughter.  And yes, I have been told many times people know of my presence by hearing my laugh.  Well, that's better than many things I could be known for.  :)  It helps get through many things.  Such as a hot day - but it's a dry heat.  No house yet - but Amy and Aaron have a live in nanny, handyman, etc.

I'm overweight - but my grandchildren think I am comfy.

We have experienced our third church since being here.  I have come to realize that if you keep searching and signing the "get to know you" cards, you can keep gaining different gifts.  I have received a small book, a water bottle, a local coffee shop gift card and a Starbucks gift card.  (Just kidding, that is not why we are visiting different churches (or is it???)

A glad heart makes a happy face;
    a broken heart crushes the spirit.  Prov 15:13 (NLT)

For the despondent, every day brings trouble;
    for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.  Prov 15:15 (NLT)

A cheerful heart is good medicine,
    but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.  Prov 17:22 (NLT)

By laughing I will have a happy face, a continual feast and be strong!  It helps with ones health, gives us such a better outlook on things and puts things into perspective.  So make sure at the end of every day you find something to laugh at.  

Continued prayers for finances, financing, and a suitable house.  Prayers for family and friends in Iowa whom we love and continue to care for.  Some are dealing with some heavy issues.  Prayers for finding the right church, neighborhood, and connections.  Prayers for knowing where and how we are to serve.  And I pray that these words gave you a smile today.